Read Across America Draws Children To Dr Seuss Books

By Tanjua Damon

Dr Seuss, the children’s author whose books will live on as ones with great rhythm and rhyming, was honored Friday through the National Education Association’s Read Across America, which each year celebrates the author’s birthday.

Each year near or on March 2, the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr Seuss, some 30 million children and adults pledge to read in honor of the author of 47 books including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In 1984, Dr Seuss was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his writing and illustrations that have captured the hearts of young and old alike.

The 2001 theme of Read Across America was Oh, the Places You’ll Go, which was written by Dr Seuss in 1990, a year before his death. Dr Seuss died at the age of 87 in September 1991.

Steve Midlik of Sandy hook spent time with Head O’ Meadow students creating voices for the characters in the famous Dr Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The students smiled and chuckled as Mr Midlik read to them.

“I try to tell the kids before I start, people are gifted sometimes as was Theodor Geisel, Thorosgood Ravenscroft, Borris Karloff, and Chuck Jones,” Mr Midlik said. “If they have a gift I would like it very much it they would pursue their gift.”

Head O’ Meadow Principal William Bircher read an older Dr Seuss book entitled Sneetches. The book is about what makes a person who they are and it is about people who judge other people.

Sandy Hook School third graders paired up with kindergartners for some special reading time, according to Reading Consultant Judie Mitten. Third graders read Dr Seuss books and kindergartners read books they had made themselves.

“Dr Seuss books, many of them tell a lesson,” Ms Mitten said. “They are tough books to read. But the students love to read to each other.”

Middle Gate students in Ms Zitnay’s first grade class put on a play for their parents, in part to finish the book Chicken Soup With Rice, but also to participate in Read Across America and to celebrate Dr Seuss’ birthday. The class and their guests enjoyed a cake decorated with the well-known The Cat in the Hat hat with red and white stripes.

It was another exciting day of reading with Dr Seuss. He was born in 1904 in Springfield, Mass. Dr Seuss graduated from Dartmouth in 1925. He started drawing cartoons for the humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern.